best speakers for nap160 and nap12s
Posted by: usanaim on 01 October 2015
So I came into a naim amp combo and now I want to try some good speakers in my budget(300-500used) to get the full effect.I have never heard any naim audio equipment before.I was thinking of pairing the amp combo with some magnepan magneplanars or some esl 57's.I like the vintage aesthetics of the speakers for my living room. Any thoughts?
Hopefully Wat and George will see this and reply. Each a pretty ardent supporter of his Maggies and ESL 57's, respectively. There's been a bit of chatter here recently about vintage gear. Sounds like fun stuff to explore. Enjoy!
If you want the full on Naim experience from the time of the 12/160 you want some Linn Kans. No self respecting Naim owner of the time would have been seen dead using Quad. It would have led to public disgrace, if not death threats from the flat earth fraternity.
For fuller bass, consider the other Linns of the time: Keilidhs, or possibly the Kabers, althopugh the latter require some real welly to sound at their best. These would be well within budget.
Important detail - get the NAP160 serviced ASAP. Or your new speakers may suffer......
Then get the NAC12 serviced too.
great suggestions.thanks guys.now to ebay to find my used speakers
No question that the amps should be serviced before hooking up to a new pair of speakers,imo.
Give Chris West a call at AV Options and he will get them sorted for you.
I have had vintage Naim amps fail upon start-up after a long hibernation- expensive lesson!
ATB,
Mark
No question that the amps should be serviced before hooking up to a new pair of speakers,imo.
Give Chris West a call at AV Options and he will get them sorted for you.
I have had vintage Naim amps fail upon start-up after a long hibernation- expensive lesson!
ATB,
Mark
Yep - the NAP 160 (for safety / reliability) and the NAC 12s (for sound quality) should definitely get the full treatment. It's ultimately worth it, and certainly makes a huge difference.
i took off the cover today for the first time and blew some compressed air to clear out any dust.it looked like there was some scratched initials inside. a "v" and a "g" or maybe a "j". Does that mean any thing?this is low serial number nap160p number 0067
Be careful servicing nac12. I alternate with NAC72 (fully serviced by Naim) and Nac12 with original boards, however it is dual railed. I think the Nac12 is the best by a good margin with the original unserviced boards. It is possible two swap between the boards in the 12 and 72 and the 12 is best regardless.. Service don't always mean better sound. I use the CDSII as main source.